


It's Better Now

by SebPitch



Category: Ghosts (TV 2019)
Genre: Bisexuality, Canon Gay Character, Gen, Homosexuality, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, My First Fanfic, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-05-19 15:56:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19360114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SebPitch/pseuds/SebPitch
Summary: Alison has a pride flag and the Captain sees it. A conversation ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd share my love for this dead gay army man. Enjoy!

The Captain made a point of respecting Alison and Michael's privacy. He knew that some of the other ghosts, naming no names, liked to walk through walls from room to room with no care for what living person might be in there or what activities they might be up to. Sometimes they did care, which was inevitably worse (he had had to pull Thomas away from the bathroom on more than one occasion now, and, really, that boy needed a stern talking to about boundaries).

He needed to set an example to the others, after all. He was their Captain, he had to guide them. He tried to deter them from snooping with disapproving looks and subtle throat clearing, or, in the case of ghosts who required more direct instructions, a short lecture on what it is right and proper and what is not. This usually led to the lectured leaving mid sentence, which stung a bit, but got the desired result nonetheless.

That is why it took so long for him to see it. Alison had put it out a couple of weeks ago, but he, unlike some, hadn't made a habit of invading their room. Today though, the door had been left open while she redecorated. He was drawn over to this side of the house for that reason, when he heard Lady Button yelling. Not necessarily an uncommon occurrence, but she had relented a bit in her complaints of Alison's 'unladylike' manners.

He wandered over to investigate, because there wasn't much else for him to be doing, and caught the end of a rather one-sided argument on the subject of curtains. Lady Button evidently liked the ones already up, and Alison preferred the new ones she had thought herself very lucky to find for so cheap. Her only response to Lady Button's complaints were several long-suffering sighs. They eventually, as always, caused Lady Button to throw up her hands and storm off. She was getting better, but progress was slow going.

The Captain watched her huff and turn through the wall. Julian, who had wandered over to watch the excitement as well, tutted in disappointment and went off to see if Mike was attempting DIY anywhere in the house. The Captain, on the other hand, was interested in seeing what was so scandalous about these curtains.

"Good afternoon, Alison," he said as he stepped into the room.

"Oh, hey, Captain." She waved a hand behind her in vague greeting, before continuing her work in unhooking the old curtains. He saw the infamous new set layed out on the bed. They looked fine. He liked them, actually. He thought that they rather went with the rest of the room. They fitted nicely with the general aesthetic, especially since the walls hadn't been repainted yet.

While he was contemplating the colour scheme, he spotted something unfamiliar on a shelf to his right. There were a lot of unfamiliar items on the shelf, but this one in particular caught his eye. It was a small flag, sticking out between some stationary in a desk tidy. He couldn't think of what it could be. He wasn't very up to date in current world affairs, for obvious reasons, but he didn't think he had seen it before. Maybe it was a regional flag, for the county or nearby village. Pink stripe on top, blue on the bottom and a thinner purple stripe across the middle.

He hadn't gotten many opportunities to learn anything new in a while, and the day was going quite slowly. He decided to ask Alison about it. He politely waited until she had finished unhooking both curtains before attracting her attention.

"Alison?"

"Yes?" She hopped down from the stepladder and turned to him.

"May I ask, what does this flag represent?" He gestured to the shelf.

"Oh. Er." She looked vaguely uncomfortable, the Captain noted. He wondered if he should regret mentioning it. "I suppose you don't really know about..." she trailed off and shook her head. "No. Well," she sat on the bed and pulled the new curtains onto her lap. "That is what we'd call a pride flag." She started threading hooks in along the top.

"Oh?" All flags are about being proud, he reflected, but he could tell that there was a reason the pride was specified in this case. Something in how she said it.

"Yeah," she continued. "It's for bisexual pride." The Captain froze. "Have you... Do you know what that is?"

"Er. Well, um." He hadn't heard that particular word before, but he had an idea. He cleared his throat. "I don't think so, no," he lied.

She nodded. "Well, it's my flag. I'm bisexual, or, just bi. That means I don't only like men. Romantically." She watched him carefully, fingers working steadily on the hooks.

"Oh." The Captain was silent for moment. The ease with which she said those words loosened something in him he hadn't realised had wound up. "And there's a flag for that?" He tried to keep his voice even.

Alison smiled. "Yes." She gathered the curtains in her arms and climbed back up the ladder. "To show pride in who you are. I'm sure you know that, historically, people who are different have been made to feel the opposite. There are other flags as well, for different identities."

"Right." He swallowed. He gripped his swagger stick to keep his hands from shaking. After an amount of time he thought acceptable, he asked cautiously; "People are... okay with that sort of thing now?"

"Well, there are a still lot of people who aren't, for whatever reason." He had expected as much, but couldn't help feel a pang of something that might have been disappointment. "But there are a lot more who are. We've come a long way, even in the past few years." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Two men can get married now."

He choked.

Alison pretended not to notice. "My brother got married last year." She finished adjusting the curtains and hopped down again. She stepped back to admire her handiwork and make sure they looked alright. "I meant to invite him and his husband over soon, actually," she muttered. "I only met him a couple of times, but he seemed quite nice."

The Captain stared.

Satisfied with the curtains, she turned to face him. "My brother had a hard time of it when we were teenagers." She frowned. "Some people tried to stop him from being himself- from being happy. They tried to shame him out of it." She shook her head slightly as if to erase whatever memories had surfaced. "But he had a community to welcome him with open arms, and friends to support him. He's a lot happier now. I'm proud of him," she said, quieter. "A lot of people fought very hard for us to get to this point- are still fighting. There must be something about it on that history channel you watch. I can find a documentary for you later, if you like."

The Captain blinked hard several times and cleared his throat twice. "Er, yes, that would be..." He swallowed. "Thank you."

Alison grinned and saluted. "No problem, Captain."

~~~~~

That evening, the Captain could be found watching a very interesting programme in one of the unoccupied rooms of Button house. Not that anyone did find him, to his relief. He wasn't ready to share this part of himself with the others just yet. Some of the ghosts probably knew already, he figured. Alison had clearly seen right through him, so to speak.

After dying, he had become significantly less careful in regards to hiding his attraction to men. With nothing left to lose and no physical consequences to his actions, he hadn't seen the point. He had formed some kind of friendship with the other ghosts since then, however, and found that he really didn't want to lose that with any of them. He didn't think they would outright reject him, but, well. They were all a bit stuck in the past, himself included.

He might open up in the future, he thought. If the subject were to arise in conversation he certainly wouldn't permit anyone to insult him or any of the brave souls he'd recently discovered. For now, he was content with learning about these brilliant social developments on his own.

He sat and watched the people on screen exist happily in ways he never knew people could. And he did something he never thought he'd be able to do again. He cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can ghosts cry? Scientists yet to confirm.
> 
> I might add another chapter where the Captain meets Alison's brother, but I'm not sure. I haven't written anything outside of school in ages. This is my first (published) fanwork, so any tips or advice would be appreciated. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alison's brother visits.

The ghosts of Button House were gathered in the foyer when the visitors arrived. Not because they were particularly interested in the newcomers, although some were a bit curious, but because Alison had yet to deliver on a promise and the foyer was where she happened to be. They talked over each other in trying to get Alison to listen to them, ignoring the obvious crunch of shoes on gravel from outside.

The Captain was aware that it was Alison's brother who would be visiting, she had mentioned as much the day before when ordering the ghosts to stay out of the way, and he actually did care to see them arrive well. He shushed the others when a knock sounded from the door and stood to attention. Surprisingly, it worked, and the ghosts quietened down long enough for Alison to breathe and pull open the door. 

"Hey, it's so good to see you!"

"You look great, oh my gosh."

"How are you, how have you been?"

"God, it's been forever."

The living traded greetings, handshakes and hugs and Alison ignored the ghosts as they resumed their quest for attention. She was getting quite good at it, only faltering once after a comment from Kitty on the 'tall one with the legs'.

The Captain watched from behind the group. He noticed similarities in the features of the slightly shorter man and Alison, so figured that he was the brother. He rested his hand on the arm of the man next to him, who rocked back and forth on his heels every few seconds and shot him reassuring smiles.

"Come on in," Alison said, stepping back. She looked at Mike. "How about I make some tea before we give you the tour of the castle?"

Her brother grinned. "Oh, there's a tour already?"

Mike showed them into the living room and left Alison to it, having become familiar with his partner's 'there's a ghost thing I need to deal with' face.

"Yeah, there's not much yet, we've had work..."

His voice faded out of earshot as Alison led the ghosts to the kitchen and shut the door.

"Okay, what is it then? Be quick," she warned, filling the kettle.

The ghosts' voices tumbled over each other as they all tried to explain at once. Alison held up a hand.

"We've talked about this, guys."

They were several murmered apologies.

"Right. Sorry," said Pat. "Well, you know how you left on Netflix-" he drew out the syllables of the unfamiliar word, "-for us, so that we wouldn't bother you when you had guests over?"

She gave them a pointed look. "Yeah."

"Well, we- we can't really agree on anything."

Alison took a teapot down from the cupboard and threw in two tea bags. She sighed. "Did you have a vote?"

"Yes, but there are too many options! We all want different things," Thomas cried.

"One about forest, with animals, is good," said Robin.

"And I wants to watch the little peoples make the cakes," said Mary.

Alison rested her forehead against the cupboard door and shut her eyes. "Well, why did you come to me? What do you want me to do about it?"

"You're a neutral point on this. You can make an unbiased decision. And you promised you'd get it sorted for us," the Captain said, knowing full well that he had no intention of going back upstairs with these lot. Not when there were two men in the house married to each other, something he had never dreamed of happening. He was curious to know what it was like. If they were as happy as people in his lifetime had promised two men could never be. No matter the outcome of this little dispute he would make his excuses and break off from the group to find out.

They all started talking over each other again and Alison took a few deep breaths. At least Lady Button wasn't there to criticise her hosting skills, she thought. When the kettle finally clicked she opened her eyes and poured the boiling water into the teapot.

"Okay," she said, turning to the group with both hands raised. "How about you take turns? Rock paper scissors to see who gets to go first, or pick a number, or- something, and then you each get to choose."

"I actually think that, since I'm the one pushing the buttons, I should get to-" Julian started.

"Rock paper scissors!" Alison interrupted loudly. She cringed as soon as she had spoken. When there was no reaction from outside the kitchen, she continued in a lower voice. "Ok? Keep it fair, no hard feelings or arguing, or I'll- I'll be really disappointed in you."

Kitty gasped. Despite a few rolled eyes there were agreements muttered around the room.

Alison let out a frustrated sound. "It's not that hard, guys! You can't come to me for something small like this, not when I have guests over. Sort things out between yourselves next time."

They murmered apologies again.

She grabbed three mugs and placed them on a tray, with a tub of sugar and jug of milk. "I haven't seen my brother, or his husband, in ages, so I really don't want to be interrupted again, okay?" She moved to the pantry in search of biscuits.

Shortly after locating a packet, she became aware that the room behind her had gone eerily quiet. She turned slowly, custard creams in hand.

"What? What is it?"

After a moment of silence, in which the Captain dared not move an inch, Thomas piped up. "His... husband, you say?"

Alison let out a breath. "Oh. God, you had me worried. I thought something was wrong." She nodded to answer his question and walked back to the table, trying to think of a quick, easy way to explain it to people who mostly came from times where a marriage such as her brother's being legal was unthinkable. She glanced at the Captain, who stood rigid at the back of the room. "Uh, yes," she said simply, "his husband. They got married last August."

The Captain twirled his swagger stick between his fingers, a nervous habit he'd never managed to kick, even in death. He braced himself for whatever the ghosts had to say. Could it really be worse than what he'd already heard in his lifetime?

He knew the answer of course was yes, it very much could be. These were people he considered family, after all. Whether they knew it or not, any opinions shared now would feel personal. If he told them about that fact or not, if they suspected already or not, it was still true. If any of them were to express distaste or disgust it couldn't change anything about him, and it couldn't make him feel ashamed. He'd given that up some time ago. But it could still hurt, more so than anything a stranger or long dead acquaintance had to say.

Really, he didn't think any of them would say something to hurt him, intentional or not. He couldn't know for sure, though. That was largely what kept him from telling them of his leanings, the uncertainty of how they'd react. That and the fact that he didn't see it as relevant. The topic didn't exactly come up often in conversation, and he honestly preferred to keep his private life, or his past life, to himself.

Though it felt like minutes, the room was silent only for a few seconds. Kitty was the first to break the spell.

"Good for him!" she exclaimed. The others joined in with similar sentiments.

"I didn'ts know you could do that now."

"It's about ruddy time, I should think."

"Well, that certainly seems a more positive change since I last heard."

"I suppose your generation is doing something right."

The Captain felt a rush of relief, and an irrational wave of fondness for his companions. He bounced slightly on his heels and relaxed the grip on his swagger stick.

Pat clapped his hands once. "Right. So, do we all know how to play rock paper scissors?" he asked.

"We can't touch anything, I don't know how you expect us to gather those items," responded Thomas.

They began filing out of the room, Pat explaining the game to the confused older ghosts. A more difficult task than expected, he quickly found. Alison, pleased by their reactions but mostly glad that they had finally buggered off, brought the tea tray into the living room.

The Captain took a moment to breathe before following.

~~~~~

"Sorry we're a bit late, this place is hard to find."

Alison's brother, Elliot, snorted. "You're just no good with directions. Don't blame it on the house."

"It's the country roads. They're confusing!" Elliot gave him a disbelieving look. "Okay, you can be the navigator next time if you think you'd do such a better job."

"No, I'm sorry. You did fine, Vic." He patted his husbands knee, then added, "besides, I don't think these roads are ready for your driving."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elliot hid his laughter behind his cup as Vic protested. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

The Captain watched the scene from across the room. He had trailed the other ghosts upstairs first, for appearance's sake, and left once they had decided what to watch. Robin had won, and switched on something called 'Our Planet'. Interesting, but the Captain wasn't too disappointed to miss it.

They acted just like he expected any other couple would. It... amazed him, a bit. He had seen more than one programme over the past few weeks that featured queer people, but seeing a married couple right here in front of him felt... different. It was so real all of a sudden.

They talked for a while, every so often looking at each other, so unashamedly happy. A lump formed in the Captain's throat.

In his life, he had been led to believe that such a lifestyle could only lead to pain and suffering. That people like him could only have unhappy endings, or lives filled with tragedy. But right now, in front of him, was proof to the contrary. Two men, together openly, content and comfortable.

His mind went to someone in particular. A person his thoughts often turned to, almost a century later. He wondered if they ever could have had this, or something resembling. If things had been a little different. He hoped so. He had certainly planned to try anyway, even if things didn't end up how he wanted. They had nearly done it. Nearly survived to build a life together.

The Captain didn't actually know what had become of him after the war, if he had even made it through in one piece. Perhaps that was what kept him here.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the living had left the room until he heard voices and a floorboard creak above his head. He closed his eyes. He was glad, for the moment, to sit quietly and reflect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It turns out I quite like this idea so here's chapter two. Thanks for reading!
> 
> I got hit with Bad Dysphoria Hours while trying to write this, so I’m sorry if some of that angst shines through.
> 
> (Also, I just realised the Captain is autistic and I'm never letting go of that.)


End file.
